2019 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

[Visit RoadToIndy.Info for a full overview of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.]

Re-branded for 2019 and beyond, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires debuted as the Pro Mazda Championship in 2013, replacing the Star Mazda Championship which ceased operation in 2012 after 22 years. The series is sanctioned by INDYCAR and owned and operated by Andersen Promotions. It is the second official step on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder system, bridging the gap between the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.

Juncos Racing's Rinus VeeKay and Exclusive Autosport's Parker Thompson battled for top honors throughout the 2018 season, with VeeKay claiming the champion's title and the scholarship to advance to Indy Lights in 2019.

2018 was an exciting season for the series, with the introduction of the new Tatuus PM-18 chassis, completing the revitalization of all three levels. State-of-the-art chassis are in service across the board meeting the highest safety standards, including the Dallara IL-15, which debuted in Indy Lights in 2015, and the Tatuus USF-17 that was introduced to rave reviews in 2017.

The PM-18 will be the series’ standard for at least the next five years. It replaced the Élan chassis which was introduced in 2004 and provided the basis for a long list of talented young drivers to develop their skills.

HISTORY

The series has served as a vital step on the career path of many of today's top drivers since 1991. Graduates include NTT IndyCar Series drivers Marco Andretti, Gabby Chaves, Conor Daly, James Hinchcliffe, Sage Karam, Kyle Kaiser, Spencer Pigot, Graham Rahal and Zach Veach.

SCHEDULE

The 2019 Indy Pro 2000 calendar will consist of a nine-event, 16-race schedule alongside the NTT IndyCar Series which includes two ovals, five road course and two street course venues. In support of the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, both Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000 will return for the Carb Night Classic on May 24 at Lucas Oil Raceway, which is undergoing a $10M-plus renovation.

The popular RoadToIndy.TV and RoadToIndy.TV App will continue to provide behind-the-scenes content, race recap episodes, special features, live streaming and live shows of Road to Indy on and off-track activities.

In 2016, the Road to Indy became the first American racing series with a dedicated broadcast channel on demand via Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku and, most recently, the Xbox One Official App.

CAR | ENGINE

The Tatuus PM-18 debuted to rave reviews in 2018. The PM-18 uses the USF-17 chassis - introduced in 2017 - as the base car to help control the operational costs for teams who wish to move up. The chassis is a full carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque manufactured by Tatuus Racing meeting current FIA F4 safety standards including side impact panels, front and rear impact structures, HANS-compliant IndyCar head restraint, front and rear wheel tethers, upgraded uprights and an upgraded front bulkhead structure for USA specific oval racing circuits.

Single car teams will receive three bonus points as an equivalency to multi-car teams. Only the two best results will count in the team championship for teams fielding more than two entries.

PRIZE MONEY AND AWARDS

The 2019 champion's scholarship is valued at $596,700, which includes a $500,000 scholarship to advance to Indy Lights the following year and $96,700 in Cooper tires and entry fees towards the champion’s next step on the ladder. The total event and year-end prize money and awards on offer totals over $760,000.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

The Road to Indy Summit and Oval Clinic is a three-part educational and promotional program held during the season. The platform provides valuable education on a variety of topics including marketing/business, media training, career growth and development, fitness and wellness, social media and a comprehensive introduction to oval track racing led by industry experts. It also features activities such as high-profile autograph sessions and fan Q&As, networking reception, team owner meet-and-greets and race shop tours. Additionally, the current points leader will pace the Freedom 100 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires field on Carb Day and be interviewed in front of the Indianapolis 500 crowd only minutes before the race.

CURRENT TRACK RECORDS

Streets of St. Petersburg

Qualifying: Oliver Askew

1:08.1032 = 95.150 mph

3/9/2018

Race: Sting Ray Robb

1:08.5144 = 94.579 mph

3/10/2018

Indianapolis Motor Speedway RC

Qualifying: Oliver Askew

1:19.3319 = 110.679 mph

5/11/2018

Race: Parker Thompson

1:21.0338 = 108.355 mph

5/12/2018

Lucas Oil Raceway

Qualifying: Matthew Brabham

19.744 = 125.081 mph

5/25/2013

Race: Matthew Brabham

20.174 = 122.415 mph

5/25/2013

Road America

Qualifying: David Malukas

1:59.8151 = 120.606 mph

6/22/2018

Race: Toby Sowery

2:01.3306 = 119.099 mph

6/22/2018

Streets of Toronto

Qualifying: Rinus VeeKay

1:07.9735 = 94.590 mph

7/13/2018

Race: Oliver Askew

1:07.6395 = 95.057 mph

7/15/2018

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Qualifying: David Malukas

1:14.8576 = 108.590 mph

7/28/2018

Race: Rinus VeeKay

1:16.3310 = 106.494 mph

7/29/2018

Gateway Motorsports Park

Qualifying: Anthony Martin

32.0581 = 140.370 mph

8/26/2017

Race: Victor Franzoni

31.6226 = 142.303 mph

8/26/2017

Portland International Raceway

Qualifying: Rinus VeeKay

1:05.8973 = 107.294 mph

9/1/2018

Race: Rinus VeeKay

1:07.1597 = 105.277 mph

9/1/2018

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Qualifying: Richard Kent

1:19.935 = 100.792 mph

10/18/2008

Race: Dane Cameron

1.21.425 = 98.948 mph

10/20/2007

MILESTONES:

Most Starts

Dan Tomlin Jr.

60

2001-2008

Most Wins

Matthew Brabham

13

2013

Most Wins in a Season

Matthew Brabham

13

2013

Most Poles

Jack Hawksworth

11

2012

Most Poles in a Season

Jack Hawksworth

11

2012

Most Podiums

Connor De Phillippi

19

2010-2012

Most Podiums in a Season

Matthew Brabham

15

2013

PAST CHAMPIONS:

Year

Driver

Entrant

2018

Rinus VeeKay

Juncos Racing

2017

Victor Franzoni

Juncos Racing

2016

Aaron Telitz

Team Pelfrey

2015

Santiago Urrutia

Team Pelfrey

2014

Spencer Pigot

Juncos Racing

2013

Matthew Brabham

Andretti Autosport

2012

Jack Hawksworth

Team Pelfrey

2011

Tristan Vautier

JDC MotorSports

2010

Conor Daly

Juncos Racing

2009

Adam Christodoulou

JDC MotorSports

2008

John Edwards

AIM Autosport

2007

Dane Cameron

JDC MotorSports

2006

Adrian Carrio

World Speed Motorsports

2005

Raphael Matos

Ocean Tomo Racing

2004 *

Michael McDowell

Valley Motor Center

2003

Luis Schiavo

Racers Edge Motorsports

2002

Guy Cosmo

Racers Edge Motorsports

2001

Scott Bradley

World Speed Motorsports

2000

Bernardo Martinez

Team Bucknum

1999 +

Joey Hand

S3 Racing

1998

Ian Lacy

S3 Racing

1997

Tony Buffomante

Valley Motor Center

1996

Rich Stephens

Miller Team Racing

1995

Mark Rodrigues

Valley Motor Center

1994

Brad Loehner

Loehner Racing

1993

Ben Massey

World Speed Motorsports

1992

Chuck West

World Speed Motorsports

1991

Mark Rodrigues

Valley Motor Center

(*) Series switched from tube-frame cars to carbon-fiber cars in 2004.
(+) First season of unified national Star Mazda Championship series. From 1991 – 1999 the series crowned regional and oval-track champions.